1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to toys which can detect optical signals and then provide audio outputs related to the detected optical signals.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is known in the art to provide so-called "talking" dolls. Examples of such talking dolls are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,428, Curran, May 8, 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,911, Klose et al, May 29, 1984. The '428 patent teaches an interactive talking doll. The doll responds both verbally and with motion of its body parts to a human's verbal input. For this purpose, the doll has a limited word recognition capability. The '911 patent teaches a doll with a plurality of different prerecorded audio messages. Pressing a different switch on the doll will cause the playback of a different one of the recorded messages. The doll can also operate in a problem solution mode.
The prior art also teaches systems for converting visual signals into audio outputs. An example of such a system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,707, O'Malley et al, Feb. 26, 1991. The O'Malley patent teaches a text to speech converter for a facsimile graphic image.
None of the toys of the prior art known to Applicant can be used for the purpose of teaching recognition skills and providing amusement for a child.